COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Intensifying Winds Could Increase East Antarctica's Contribution to Sea Level Rise
Description: Totten Glacier, the largest glacier in East Antarctica, is being melted from below by warm water that reaches the ice when winds over the ocean are strong - a cause for concern because the glacier holds more than 11 feet of sea level rise and acts as a plug that helps lock in the ice of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. This finding helps answer the question of what causes Totten to speed up some years and slow down in others. Climate change is expected to increase the intensity of winds over the Southern Ocean throughout the next century, and the new findings show that Totten Glacier will probably respond to the changing winds. [Source: University of Texas at Austin]
URL: https://news.utexas.edu/2017/11/01/winds-driving-warm-water-under-east-antarctic
Availability: Full Text
Source: University of Texas at Austin
Publish Date: 11/1/2017
Reading Level: Basic
Page Length:  

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